I'm not a huge consumer of Gospel music, though some of it is mighty fine. I had several radio jobs that required me to play Gospel music (both white and black) and I ran the board for a local preacher's Gospel show at one. As was usually the case when I was playing music I was otherwise unfamiliar with, I came to appreciate the art form. But, as a listener--over an extended period--my head leans more to jazz, blues, R&B, rock and pop. Gospel, to me, is a lot like Classical. Sit me in a room for an hour listening to nothing but and I'll be tearing my hair out; but one well-placed track will bring me to life, fill my spirit and soul, and, heck, you may even find me dancing and singing along. Take a song like Pastor T.L. Barrett's"Like A Ship Without A Sail". That's one of my favorite tracks of any kind. It will lift you up. It does lift me up. I'm always a happy camper when that one pops up on the shuffle.

So, anyway, I went out on the 'nets to investigate this coming Christmas album with the intriguing title, "Celebrating Christmas In The Antelope Valley". No song clips yet available, I hunted down some recent music from the participants. The album features three artists, a male vocalist, a female vocalist, and a group (I'm assuming a quartet). Each has three tunes and all participate in the record's closing number. E.Z. Patterson is going to get me. I mean that in the best way. His Gospel style is steeped and simmered in the Southern Soul tradition. He's got the kind of smooth, soulful and passionate delivery that'll put you in mind of such legends as Tyrone Davis. Dorothy Cage, at least as evidenced on her recent "Music Is Soul" release, has a more traditional Gospel sound, with a very subtle edge of old-time Jazzy Blues. I wasn't able to find anything from 4 Your Glory, but I'm guessing song samples will become available shortly.

There seems to be a "disagreement" on the release date. Amazon shows the album becoming available August 26 while Selectohits has an October 7 release date. I'm presuming the second to be more likely. Regardless, as my personal Christmas music hunt is--where Gospel is concerned, certainly--more about individual tracks than the full album, I heard enough of E.Z. Patterson to know I'll be needing to add this to my collection. If you're a fan of Southern Soul Gospel, you'll likely want it, too. But, if you're decidedly not a fan of the genre, I'd encourage you not to dismiss "Celebrating Christmas In The Antelope Valley" out of hand. When the song samples become available, I'd encourage you to at least check it out. You might find something, here, that will make your mixtape shine. Hallelujah! Can I get an Amen?

thank you so much for the article CD Title " Celebrating Christmas in the Antelope Valley" I Do Believe after 35 years this CD is Special the timing and all Original Material I do think we have a winner in the Name of JESUS Track #3
Celebrate, Celebrate , is a Sleeper will be Shipped to Distributor Oct, 2,,2014 Again Thank You EZ Patterson

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Linda Forte

9/26/2014 12:02:19 pm

What a great preview of “Celebrating Christmas in the Antelope Valley”! I believe this album is different from all others and definitely worth it! I am Linda of 4 Your Glory and the writer of some of the songs. 4 Your Glory is a group of 3 ladies: Ashton, Linda, & Verdell – singing to the glory of our Lord, the 4th and most important part of our group. This is our first opportunity to put ourselves out there. How exciting it was to be asked to participate in this compilation of all original Christmas material – all focused on Jesus Christ! Mr. Patterson’s zeal and insight for this album was inspirational. I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project. It stretched and refined our talents, yet we had a lot of fun achieving Mr. Patterson’s God-given vision. I look forward to having the finished product in my hand.

Thank you for your comment, Ms. Forte. Happy to know a little bit more about 4 Your Glory and I look forward to hearing the album, myself.

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Dorothy Cage

9/28/2014 05:33:36 pm

Thank you for such a nice article about the CD "Celebrating Christmas in the Antelope Valley"- I have celebrated over 40 Christmases in the Antelope Valley so it was great to be apart of a project where all the artists involved live in the same area. You are so correct in your comment about me having a traditional Gospel sound sprinkled with a jazz/blues vibe. The 3 songs I sing on the CD are original written by me. I love songwriting and have written over 80 to date. Each one is special to me. I hope as you listen to the CD you are inspired, uplifted, & filled with peace. Thanks again.

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PREviews

I don't know about you, but I want to see that cover art and I want to see that track list before I make my Christmas music purchasing decisions. The earlier the better. That's what we try to do for you here. We'll also try to give you a little background on the artist(s), in case they're new to you.